Talk:Pulgas Water Temple

Conflicting info
I haven't been to the temple in years but this article says the water has been diverted from the temple. I will have to take a trip over there and check it out. Schmiteye 17:28, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Many thanks for the sfgate.com reference, Schmiteye. I was aware of the construction, but unaware of its extent. Indeed, I have not actually walked in to see the temple in years myself. I've rewritten that portion to reflect your observation, though it reads a bit rough until I clean it up. --Mud4t 10:25, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

I was out there yesterday--not a drop of water flowing through it. How sad. --Mud4t 22:20, 7 April 2006 (UTC)


 * Never made it out there. Sad indeed.  Schmiteye 16:54, 13 April 2006 (UTC)


 * I went out there today and took a picture. It just isn't the same without the water flowing through it. Schmiteye 06:26, 20 April 2006 (UTC)


 * I remember the Water Temple with water flowing through it from the mid-'90s. Incredible force. Too bad it's no more.


 * I was there last weekend and water was indeed flowing through the temple. It may have been that the construction necessitated the diversion of the water, but it's on now. As a bonus, the reflecting pool in front of the temple is also full. July 20, 2006

Urban legend: someone told me (a friend of a friend, naturally) that some people, high on LSD, actually jumped into the inlet in the Temple and rode it all the way to Crystal Springs. Anyone else heard this? ==ILike2BeAnonymous 05:43, 20 May 2006 (UTC)


 * Not an urban legend. I along with friends jumped down and rode the current out to lake. We all lived nearby in the Highlands/Baywood Plaza area. The exact date is long forgotten but I think it was around 1974ish - a few years later someone was killed jumping and the water dept installed a heavy metal grating over the opening. Jumping wasn't really that dangerous and the only limiting factor being the volume of water flowing through the temple. Dutyfree (talk) 07:52, 16 March 2009 (UTC)

Pulgas name
Any information on how the name was chosen? ike9898 14:51, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Very good question, Ike9898. There is a somewhat major road about 2 miles to the east named "Alameda de las Pulgas" (Avenue of the Fleas) whose name has long been a curiosity. I'll try to look into any connection. --Mud4t 10:25, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

The San Carlos, California article has this much to say: "The Lamchins referred to the area of their primary residence - probably on the north bank of Pulgas creek - as "Cachanihtac," which included their word for vermin. When the Spanish arrived, they translated this as "the fleas," or "las Pulgas," giving many places and roads their modern names." This would be good to research and clarify. --Mud4t 11:07, 5 April 2006 (UTC)


 * That's what I understand as well, that the first Spanish invaders were the ones who gave us that name. I can vouch for the presence of las pulgas chingas on the Peninsula. East Palo Alto has a main street by that name as well. ==ILike2BeAnonymous 05:46, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

Call for photo
A photograph of the temple would be a worthy addition to this page. If anyone has one or would like to take one, that would be nice. The outside-linked photois stunning, but likely unavailable for this. --Mud4t 10:25, 5 April 2006 (UTC)
 * I took a picture today. Actually this was the best of the bunch. Schmiteye 06:27, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Nice! ike9898 20:14, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Thanks Ike! Schmiteye 01:05, 24 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Looks good, very helpful! --Mud4t 07:46, 6 May 2006 (UTC)
 * I have a photo that my dad took in 1966 and I've never seen one like it. I posted it on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/czmyt/status/1444143813606391809  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:405:4A00:463:596E:C5DA:902B:37E2 (talk) 17:36, 4 October 2021 (UTC)

Sunol Water Temple
Another issue to look into. The Pulgas temple was completed several years after the Sunol temple. So what was the big idea? That a major waterworks project should have a showpiece? Are there other similar showpieces elsewhere in the world? Was there any reaction from architecture critics comparing the Pulgas to the Sunol temple? ike9898 13:45, 5 April 2006 (UTC)
 * The first Pulgas water temple was built to serve as a backdrop for an October 28, 1934 speech by Harold L. Ickes dedicating the completion of the Hetch Hetchy water system. An account of the speech (though no mention of the water temple) can be found on page 11 of the October 29, 1934 New York Times.  I am not sure what the actual reason for the construction of a permanent temple in 1938 was.  Smptq (talk) 22:30, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Additional "water temple" feature either at Pulgas or Sonol?
I grew up on the Bay Area in the 1960's, and recall visiting both Pulgas and Sunol. I have a vague recollection that one or the other featured a multi-headed drinking fountain-like device where you could get a taste, or at least a smell, of water with various natural impurities, including salt water, water with natural bicarbonate, and (most memorably) water with some dissolved sulfur content. Anyone else have any recollection/documentation? —Preceding unsigned comment added by RFGS (talk • contribs) 23:13, 15 April 2009 (UTC)